When Charles Barkley addressed the stigmas surrounding the contraction of HIV: “Not like we’re going to have unprotected s*x with Magic Johnson”
Back in November 1991, Charles Barkley was one of the many NBA players shocked by the developments of Magic Johnson. After being diagnosed with HIV, the LA Lakers legend was forced to retire from basketball.
Part of why Magic Johnson retired is because there was a large fear among other players. Given that there was little information on the disease at the time, players began to panic. They were scared to play against him because they thought it could be transmitted through sweat.
Despite the big scare, there were some players who came to the defense of the Hall of Fame point guard. One of those being Charles Barkley, who made an outrageous comment on the matter. To put it simply, he was far from scared of Magic's HIV diagnosis.
“We’re just playing basketball, it’s not like we’re going to go out to have unprotected s*x with Magic,” said Chuck."
Future Chicago Bulls icon Dennis Rodman followed up Charles Barkley with an outlandish remark of his own. He also did not fear catching the disease from a competitor:
“I couldn’t care less if the guy guarding has HIV. I’m going to slam him anyways.”
Charles Barkley and Magic Johnson became future teammates
Charles Barkley clearly did not fear Magic Johnson and backed it up with his actions. A year after his tragic diagnosis, the two ended up sharing the floor together as teammates.
To this day, there is one group that is regarded as the greatest basketball team ever assembled. That being the 1992 USA Men's Olympic team, later dubbed "The Dream Team."
From top to bottom, the roster was loaded with NBA Hall of Famers. Some of the names include Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Scottie Pippen.
Among those who also made the cut was Barkley. By then, he had cemented himself as one of the top big men in the league.
Given all the talent that was being put together, Magic's name was also thrown in the mix. There was still some skepticism, but after a long debate, he joined the team as co-captain alongside Larry Bird. As most know, the Dream Team went on to dominate the competition and bring home a gold medal.
Before Magic's NBA career was over, he and Barkley also faced off as opponents. After being away for three years, the LA Lakers icon returned to the team for one final run in 1995-96. His second-to-last game ended up being against Barkley and the Phoenix Suns.